Since its introduction, the magnetic tape cassette has found widespread usage as a convenient device for storing, playing and recording magnetic signals. Wide usage of the magnetic tape cassette taken together with the fact that its capacity is time limited, means that many users have a large number of magnetic tape cassettes. These users then have a need for convenient storage. There are a large variety of devices which have the sole function of storing magnetic tape cassettes. Many of these devices provide for the storage of the magnetic tape cassette per se, see for example French patent No. 2,221,784 or Canadian patent No. 1,169,389. Other devices L such as described in U.K. published application No. 2,003,118 provide a compartment for magnetic tape cassette containers, so that the cassettes themselves remain within the containers in which they are sold, and the containers are removably held in the book like container. Finally, other devices such as the one described in French patent No. 2,239,186 provide a booklike container within which are secured a plurality of magnetic tape cassette containers which themselves can be used to store the magnetic tape cassettes per se.
The present invention is directed to improving the storage arrangement for magnetic tape cassette containers from the point of view of convenience of the user and simplicity in manufacturing cost.
In accordance with the invention a prime component of the storage container is a rectangular frame. The frame has interior and exterior dimensions of length and width and a depth dimension. Both the interior and exterior length of the frame exceed twice the length of a conventional magnetic tape cassette container, and the internal and external width dimension of the frame exceeds the width of a conventional magnetic tape cassette container. The frame has a depth which is in excess of the depth of a conventional magnetic tape cassette container. As a result, a plurality of magnetic tape cassette containers can be arranged, in a gridlike fashion, within the internal dimensions of the rectangular frame. The frame can be manufactured from a variety of components, and the component selection depends mainly on ease of manufacture. For example, the rectangular frame can be manufactured from wood, molded plastic or even metal.
Another element in accordance with the invention is a magnetic tape cassette container support. The support has length and width dimensions which are slightly smaller than the internal dimensions of the frame. The support in one embodiment is generally planar in form and has secured to it at least four magnetic tape cassette containers, in a gridlike arrangement. The width of both the support and the interior dimension of the frame are selected so as to exceed twice the width of a conventional magnetic tape cassette container, so that the containers, as secured on the support, can be spaced to allow for manual access. The dimensions of the support are arranged so that the support can be manually inserted into the frame. In some embodiments of the invention, the support, in use, can be manually inserted or removed from the frame. In other embodiments of the invention, the support is secured to the frame, after its insertion so that in use it cannot be removed from the frame. The container in accordance with the invention also includes a book-like assembly surrounding the frame. The book-like assembly includes at least a pair of rigid, generally planar members, each with a length and width greater than the exterior length and width of the rectangular frame. The book-like assembly further includes a hinge joining the rigid, generally planar members into a book-like assembly and providing for rotational movement of the rigid planar members relative to each other about a longitudinal axis of the hinge.
Finally, the invention also provides for securing the rectangular frame to the book-like assembly.
One specific embodiment of the invention includes at least two of the rectangular frames, and two rigid magnetic tape cassette container supports, one for insertion into each frame. The hinge can comprise a flexible book-like hinge and each rectangular frame is secured to a different one of the rigid, generally planar members.
A different embodiment of the invention which also includes two rigid magnetic tape cassette container supports and a pair of rectangular frames, further includes one or more rigid hinges. In this embodiment of the invention the rigid hinges have characteristics similar to a conventional door hinge in that the hinge includes a plate secured to each of the frames, each of the hinges including a segmented pin receiving cylinder. The segmented pin receiving cylinders on the two different plates interleave so that when a pin is inserted within the interleaved, segmented pin receiving cylinders, a hinge is formed allowing for relative rotation of one frame with respect to another about an axis defined by the pin.
In still another embodiment of the invention, a cover element is provided having a length approximately equal to the exterior length of the rectangular frame and a width approximately equal to the depth of the rectangular frame. The hinge comprises two flexible book-like hinges each connected between the cover element and one of the rigid generally planar members. In this embodiment of the invention, the rectangular frame is secured to the cover element. In accordance with a further particular feature of this embodiment of the invention, the rectangular frame has a depth which exceeds twice the depth of the conventional magnetic tape cassette container so that a pair of supports can be inserted into the frame, one from each side with the magnetic tape cassette containers on each support facing away from the other support. In accordance with this particular specific embodiment, the rectangular frame may also include a planar-like divider spaced approximately middepth of the frame so that when the support is placed into the frame it contacts the divider with the result that the free surface of the magnetic tape cassette containers lie at about the same level as the top edge of the frame.
In a variation on the embodiment just described, the invention uses a divider in lieu of the magnetic cassette container support. In this arrangement, the magnetic cassette container supports are secured, in the grid-like fashion already described, to both faces of the divider. The magnetic cassette container supports may be permanently secured to the different faces of the divider during the course of manufacture. As an alternative, the divider may be provided with an attachment means which allows a plurality of magnetic cassette containers to be secured to the divider via the attachment means. In this alternative, the container of the invention may be sold without magnetic cassette containers secured to the attachment means, so that a purchaser can secure his own magnetic cassette containers to the attachment means. It should also be apparent that manufacture of the inventive container could include attachment of the magnetic cassette containers to the attachment means.